When was the first strap-on booster used in spaceflight? The Next CEO of Stack OverflowHelp me understand what Farside, a ten “stage” rockoon looked like? How was it configured?Which Chinese citizen co-founded JPL? Who are JPL's “founders” in general?What was the first attempt in history for space exploration?When did the term “Space” first come into use?For a 3 booster rocket, why do they start with igniting the starboard booster, followed by the center and port?When was the first commercial delivery to an orbiting space station?Why do rockets separate from both its strap-on booster cores simultaneously instead of one at a time? (Delta IV Heavy, Falcon Heavy, Angara)What was the thrust-to-weight ratio during liftoff of the Atlas V OA-4 launch?Were solar concentrators on HS-702 just a stop-gap measure until triple-junction PV cells were available?When was the idea behind the DESCANSO Book Series first conceived, by whom, and what is it's “mission”?Was the gravity turn used in early spaceflight?Can a first stage be a booster?

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When was the first strap-on booster used in spaceflight?



The Next CEO of Stack OverflowHelp me understand what Farside, a ten “stage” rockoon looked like? How was it configured?Which Chinese citizen co-founded JPL? Who are JPL's “founders” in general?What was the first attempt in history for space exploration?When did the term “Space” first come into use?For a 3 booster rocket, why do they start with igniting the starboard booster, followed by the center and port?When was the first commercial delivery to an orbiting space station?Why do rockets separate from both its strap-on booster cores simultaneously instead of one at a time? (Delta IV Heavy, Falcon Heavy, Angara)What was the thrust-to-weight ratio during liftoff of the Atlas V OA-4 launch?Were solar concentrators on HS-702 just a stop-gap measure until triple-junction PV cells were available?When was the idea behind the DESCANSO Book Series first conceived, by whom, and what is it's “mission”?Was the gravity turn used in early spaceflight?Can a first stage be a booster?










3












$begingroup$


The first use of the term "strap-on" in Google Ngram viewer is in 1930 and presumably that wasn't about a booster being attached to a rocket for additional thrust at lift-off.



When was a strap-on booster first used in spaceflight; beyond Karman, suborbital is allowed.



Was it in the late 1980's when the term had a sudden rise in popularity?



strap-on Ngram










share|improve this question











$endgroup$











  • $begingroup$
    Maybe you should also take a look at similar terms, such as "side booster"?
    $endgroup$
    – Everyday Astronaut
    Mar 18 at 11:24










  • $begingroup$
    @EverydayAstronaut it's a visual aid to get the ball rolling. Ngram is available to everyone at books.google.com/ngrams
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Mar 18 at 12:41











  • $begingroup$
    @uhoh I don't think that's an accurate ngram, the words in question are used in many applications. It would look more along the lines of this or this if it were accurate and only referencing space-flight.
    $endgroup$
    – Magic Octopus Urn
    Mar 19 at 16:42











  • $begingroup$
    @MagicOctopusUrn I never said it applied only to spaceflight. Once again, it's a visual aid to get the ball rolling. I thought it was pretty obvious that since it starts in 1930 it included other usages.
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Mar 19 at 16:48
















3












$begingroup$


The first use of the term "strap-on" in Google Ngram viewer is in 1930 and presumably that wasn't about a booster being attached to a rocket for additional thrust at lift-off.



When was a strap-on booster first used in spaceflight; beyond Karman, suborbital is allowed.



Was it in the late 1980's when the term had a sudden rise in popularity?



strap-on Ngram










share|improve this question











$endgroup$











  • $begingroup$
    Maybe you should also take a look at similar terms, such as "side booster"?
    $endgroup$
    – Everyday Astronaut
    Mar 18 at 11:24










  • $begingroup$
    @EverydayAstronaut it's a visual aid to get the ball rolling. Ngram is available to everyone at books.google.com/ngrams
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Mar 18 at 12:41











  • $begingroup$
    @uhoh I don't think that's an accurate ngram, the words in question are used in many applications. It would look more along the lines of this or this if it were accurate and only referencing space-flight.
    $endgroup$
    – Magic Octopus Urn
    Mar 19 at 16:42











  • $begingroup$
    @MagicOctopusUrn I never said it applied only to spaceflight. Once again, it's a visual aid to get the ball rolling. I thought it was pretty obvious that since it starts in 1930 it included other usages.
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Mar 19 at 16:48














3












3








3





$begingroup$


The first use of the term "strap-on" in Google Ngram viewer is in 1930 and presumably that wasn't about a booster being attached to a rocket for additional thrust at lift-off.



When was a strap-on booster first used in spaceflight; beyond Karman, suborbital is allowed.



Was it in the late 1980's when the term had a sudden rise in popularity?



strap-on Ngram










share|improve this question











$endgroup$




The first use of the term "strap-on" in Google Ngram viewer is in 1930 and presumably that wasn't about a booster being attached to a rocket for additional thrust at lift-off.



When was a strap-on booster first used in spaceflight; beyond Karman, suborbital is allowed.



Was it in the late 1980's when the term had a sudden rise in popularity?



strap-on Ngram







launch history terminology booster






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited Mar 18 at 17:41







uhoh

















asked Mar 18 at 7:55









uhohuhoh

39.7k18149502




39.7k18149502











  • $begingroup$
    Maybe you should also take a look at similar terms, such as "side booster"?
    $endgroup$
    – Everyday Astronaut
    Mar 18 at 11:24










  • $begingroup$
    @EverydayAstronaut it's a visual aid to get the ball rolling. Ngram is available to everyone at books.google.com/ngrams
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Mar 18 at 12:41











  • $begingroup$
    @uhoh I don't think that's an accurate ngram, the words in question are used in many applications. It would look more along the lines of this or this if it were accurate and only referencing space-flight.
    $endgroup$
    – Magic Octopus Urn
    Mar 19 at 16:42











  • $begingroup$
    @MagicOctopusUrn I never said it applied only to spaceflight. Once again, it's a visual aid to get the ball rolling. I thought it was pretty obvious that since it starts in 1930 it included other usages.
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Mar 19 at 16:48

















  • $begingroup$
    Maybe you should also take a look at similar terms, such as "side booster"?
    $endgroup$
    – Everyday Astronaut
    Mar 18 at 11:24










  • $begingroup$
    @EverydayAstronaut it's a visual aid to get the ball rolling. Ngram is available to everyone at books.google.com/ngrams
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Mar 18 at 12:41











  • $begingroup$
    @uhoh I don't think that's an accurate ngram, the words in question are used in many applications. It would look more along the lines of this or this if it were accurate and only referencing space-flight.
    $endgroup$
    – Magic Octopus Urn
    Mar 19 at 16:42











  • $begingroup$
    @MagicOctopusUrn I never said it applied only to spaceflight. Once again, it's a visual aid to get the ball rolling. I thought it was pretty obvious that since it starts in 1930 it included other usages.
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Mar 19 at 16:48
















$begingroup$
Maybe you should also take a look at similar terms, such as "side booster"?
$endgroup$
– Everyday Astronaut
Mar 18 at 11:24




$begingroup$
Maybe you should also take a look at similar terms, such as "side booster"?
$endgroup$
– Everyday Astronaut
Mar 18 at 11:24












$begingroup$
@EverydayAstronaut it's a visual aid to get the ball rolling. Ngram is available to everyone at books.google.com/ngrams
$endgroup$
– uhoh
Mar 18 at 12:41





$begingroup$
@EverydayAstronaut it's a visual aid to get the ball rolling. Ngram is available to everyone at books.google.com/ngrams
$endgroup$
– uhoh
Mar 18 at 12:41













$begingroup$
@uhoh I don't think that's an accurate ngram, the words in question are used in many applications. It would look more along the lines of this or this if it were accurate and only referencing space-flight.
$endgroup$
– Magic Octopus Urn
Mar 19 at 16:42





$begingroup$
@uhoh I don't think that's an accurate ngram, the words in question are used in many applications. It would look more along the lines of this or this if it were accurate and only referencing space-flight.
$endgroup$
– Magic Octopus Urn
Mar 19 at 16:42













$begingroup$
@MagicOctopusUrn I never said it applied only to spaceflight. Once again, it's a visual aid to get the ball rolling. I thought it was pretty obvious that since it starts in 1930 it included other usages.
$endgroup$
– uhoh
Mar 19 at 16:48





$begingroup$
@MagicOctopusUrn I never said it applied only to spaceflight. Once again, it's a visual aid to get the ball rolling. I thought it was pretty obvious that since it starts in 1930 it included other usages.
$endgroup$
– uhoh
Mar 19 at 16:48











3 Answers
3






active

oldest

votes


















7












$begingroup$

Boosters were in use by 21 August 1957, the first successful suborbital launch of the R-7.



Definition of 'booster':




A booster rocket (or engine) is either the first stage of a multistage launch vehicle, or else a shorter-burning rocket used in parallel with longer-burning sustainer rockets to augment the space vehicle's takeoff thrust and payload capability.




The term "Strap-on booster" is somewhat ambiguous. Literally, it means the booster is attached to the rocket via straps. I don't know any boosters that are attached like that: they are usually attached via fittings that are part of the booster's structure, and not a separate band that runs around the booster's body.



Some people use "strap-on booster" as a synonym for "booster", but that's pointless.



Strap-on boosters are, in my opinion, a subclass: this refers to boosters that are optional, i.e. the core stage can be launched either without or with boosters.



Some notable rockets that used strap-on boosters:



  • Titan 3, first launch of a Titan 3C with boosters was in 1965.


  • Ariane 3, first launch in 1984.


  • Delta 2, first launch 1989.

From this list, I'd say the Titan 3 is the first operational rocket to use strap-on boosters.






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$








  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Wikipedia does use the term strap-on in several R-7 related pages.
    $endgroup$
    – amI
    Mar 18 at 10:57


















4












$begingroup$

According to the Wikipedia article on the Titan IIIC the first flight of that vehicle was on 1965 June 18. Prior to that, on 1964 August 19 a successful flight of a rocket variously known as the "Thrust Augmented Delta" (TAD) or "Delta D" or "Thor-Delta D" ushered in operational use of strap-ons for US launch systems. The TAD flew again successfully on 1965 April 6.



After that the success with the TAD prompted the highly successful Delta series of medium-lift launchers. This article discusses the development from the single-engine Thor IRBM to the Delta series. Concerning the adoption of thrust augmenters,




After the Sputnik shock, all available assets were pressed into
service. Thor was developed into a workhorse for the space program.
The Able stage developed for the Vanguard project was mated to the
Thor. A fundamental problem was that the thrust to weight ratio of the
basic vehicle left little margin for growth or larger upper stages.
This was solved by using Castor solid rockets strapped to the base of
the vehicle to increase the lift-off thrust. Almost by accident rather
than design, Thor developed into the Delta, the standard American
medium-lift launcher, continually evolving through the use of more and
larger strap-on boosters, a cylindrical and stretched core, and
enlarged upper stages.







share|improve this answer









$endgroup$












  • $begingroup$
    Thanks! Some possibly related JATO material here space.stackexchange.com/a/34020/12102 ?
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Mar 18 at 18:27



















3












$begingroup$

Moving further into the past (since you allowed suborbital flights, and this vehicle has a stated apogee of 240 miles, well above the line-whose-name-shall-not-be-spoken) there is the Sergeant-Delta aka Shotput.




on October 28, 1959, NASA launched a 30-m (100-ft) inflatable sphere
into a suborbital trajectory from Wallops Island as part of Project
Shotput. Project Shotput used a Sergeant-Delta launch vehicle to test
payloads for the Echo passive communications satellite project.



..................



Sergeant-Delta: A large rocket used by NASA in Project Shotput in
preparation for launching the Echo satellites. Consisted of a Sergeant
plus 2 strapped-on Recruits plus a Delta X-248 second stage.




Source NASA Sounding Rockets



enter image description here



Image source






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$








  • 1




    $begingroup$
    My head is spinning! Help me understand what Farside, a ten "stage" rockoon looked like? How was it configured?
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Mar 19 at 1:16







  • 1




    $begingroup$
    I don't know the proper configuration-agnostic term for a propulsive component of a stack of unspecified configuration in this case, so I used stage, then added quotes to it.
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Mar 19 at 1:20







  • 1




    $begingroup$
    I'm kind of sad, a 10 stager would have been awesome. This Farside's pretty cool though, total burn time < 8 seconds and it goes to 2000 miles. That's some savage acceleration.
    $endgroup$
    – Organic Marble
    Mar 19 at 1:45







  • 1




    $begingroup$
    yes, my head continues to spin...
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Mar 19 at 1:48











Your Answer





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3 Answers
3






active

oldest

votes








3 Answers
3






active

oldest

votes









active

oldest

votes






active

oldest

votes









7












$begingroup$

Boosters were in use by 21 August 1957, the first successful suborbital launch of the R-7.



Definition of 'booster':




A booster rocket (or engine) is either the first stage of a multistage launch vehicle, or else a shorter-burning rocket used in parallel with longer-burning sustainer rockets to augment the space vehicle's takeoff thrust and payload capability.




The term "Strap-on booster" is somewhat ambiguous. Literally, it means the booster is attached to the rocket via straps. I don't know any boosters that are attached like that: they are usually attached via fittings that are part of the booster's structure, and not a separate band that runs around the booster's body.



Some people use "strap-on booster" as a synonym for "booster", but that's pointless.



Strap-on boosters are, in my opinion, a subclass: this refers to boosters that are optional, i.e. the core stage can be launched either without or with boosters.



Some notable rockets that used strap-on boosters:



  • Titan 3, first launch of a Titan 3C with boosters was in 1965.


  • Ariane 3, first launch in 1984.


  • Delta 2, first launch 1989.

From this list, I'd say the Titan 3 is the first operational rocket to use strap-on boosters.






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$








  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Wikipedia does use the term strap-on in several R-7 related pages.
    $endgroup$
    – amI
    Mar 18 at 10:57















7












$begingroup$

Boosters were in use by 21 August 1957, the first successful suborbital launch of the R-7.



Definition of 'booster':




A booster rocket (or engine) is either the first stage of a multistage launch vehicle, or else a shorter-burning rocket used in parallel with longer-burning sustainer rockets to augment the space vehicle's takeoff thrust and payload capability.




The term "Strap-on booster" is somewhat ambiguous. Literally, it means the booster is attached to the rocket via straps. I don't know any boosters that are attached like that: they are usually attached via fittings that are part of the booster's structure, and not a separate band that runs around the booster's body.



Some people use "strap-on booster" as a synonym for "booster", but that's pointless.



Strap-on boosters are, in my opinion, a subclass: this refers to boosters that are optional, i.e. the core stage can be launched either without or with boosters.



Some notable rockets that used strap-on boosters:



  • Titan 3, first launch of a Titan 3C with boosters was in 1965.


  • Ariane 3, first launch in 1984.


  • Delta 2, first launch 1989.

From this list, I'd say the Titan 3 is the first operational rocket to use strap-on boosters.






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$








  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Wikipedia does use the term strap-on in several R-7 related pages.
    $endgroup$
    – amI
    Mar 18 at 10:57













7












7








7





$begingroup$

Boosters were in use by 21 August 1957, the first successful suborbital launch of the R-7.



Definition of 'booster':




A booster rocket (or engine) is either the first stage of a multistage launch vehicle, or else a shorter-burning rocket used in parallel with longer-burning sustainer rockets to augment the space vehicle's takeoff thrust and payload capability.




The term "Strap-on booster" is somewhat ambiguous. Literally, it means the booster is attached to the rocket via straps. I don't know any boosters that are attached like that: they are usually attached via fittings that are part of the booster's structure, and not a separate band that runs around the booster's body.



Some people use "strap-on booster" as a synonym for "booster", but that's pointless.



Strap-on boosters are, in my opinion, a subclass: this refers to boosters that are optional, i.e. the core stage can be launched either without or with boosters.



Some notable rockets that used strap-on boosters:



  • Titan 3, first launch of a Titan 3C with boosters was in 1965.


  • Ariane 3, first launch in 1984.


  • Delta 2, first launch 1989.

From this list, I'd say the Titan 3 is the first operational rocket to use strap-on boosters.






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$



Boosters were in use by 21 August 1957, the first successful suborbital launch of the R-7.



Definition of 'booster':




A booster rocket (or engine) is either the first stage of a multistage launch vehicle, or else a shorter-burning rocket used in parallel with longer-burning sustainer rockets to augment the space vehicle's takeoff thrust and payload capability.




The term "Strap-on booster" is somewhat ambiguous. Literally, it means the booster is attached to the rocket via straps. I don't know any boosters that are attached like that: they are usually attached via fittings that are part of the booster's structure, and not a separate band that runs around the booster's body.



Some people use "strap-on booster" as a synonym for "booster", but that's pointless.



Strap-on boosters are, in my opinion, a subclass: this refers to boosters that are optional, i.e. the core stage can be launched either without or with boosters.



Some notable rockets that used strap-on boosters:



  • Titan 3, first launch of a Titan 3C with boosters was in 1965.


  • Ariane 3, first launch in 1984.


  • Delta 2, first launch 1989.

From this list, I'd say the Titan 3 is the first operational rocket to use strap-on boosters.







share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited Mar 18 at 11:28

























answered Mar 18 at 10:03









HobbesHobbes

94.6k2266421




94.6k2266421







  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Wikipedia does use the term strap-on in several R-7 related pages.
    $endgroup$
    – amI
    Mar 18 at 10:57












  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Wikipedia does use the term strap-on in several R-7 related pages.
    $endgroup$
    – amI
    Mar 18 at 10:57







1




1




$begingroup$
Wikipedia does use the term strap-on in several R-7 related pages.
$endgroup$
– amI
Mar 18 at 10:57




$begingroup$
Wikipedia does use the term strap-on in several R-7 related pages.
$endgroup$
– amI
Mar 18 at 10:57











4












$begingroup$

According to the Wikipedia article on the Titan IIIC the first flight of that vehicle was on 1965 June 18. Prior to that, on 1964 August 19 a successful flight of a rocket variously known as the "Thrust Augmented Delta" (TAD) or "Delta D" or "Thor-Delta D" ushered in operational use of strap-ons for US launch systems. The TAD flew again successfully on 1965 April 6.



After that the success with the TAD prompted the highly successful Delta series of medium-lift launchers. This article discusses the development from the single-engine Thor IRBM to the Delta series. Concerning the adoption of thrust augmenters,




After the Sputnik shock, all available assets were pressed into
service. Thor was developed into a workhorse for the space program.
The Able stage developed for the Vanguard project was mated to the
Thor. A fundamental problem was that the thrust to weight ratio of the
basic vehicle left little margin for growth or larger upper stages.
This was solved by using Castor solid rockets strapped to the base of
the vehicle to increase the lift-off thrust. Almost by accident rather
than design, Thor developed into the Delta, the standard American
medium-lift launcher, continually evolving through the use of more and
larger strap-on boosters, a cylindrical and stretched core, and
enlarged upper stages.







share|improve this answer









$endgroup$












  • $begingroup$
    Thanks! Some possibly related JATO material here space.stackexchange.com/a/34020/12102 ?
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Mar 18 at 18:27
















4












$begingroup$

According to the Wikipedia article on the Titan IIIC the first flight of that vehicle was on 1965 June 18. Prior to that, on 1964 August 19 a successful flight of a rocket variously known as the "Thrust Augmented Delta" (TAD) or "Delta D" or "Thor-Delta D" ushered in operational use of strap-ons for US launch systems. The TAD flew again successfully on 1965 April 6.



After that the success with the TAD prompted the highly successful Delta series of medium-lift launchers. This article discusses the development from the single-engine Thor IRBM to the Delta series. Concerning the adoption of thrust augmenters,




After the Sputnik shock, all available assets were pressed into
service. Thor was developed into a workhorse for the space program.
The Able stage developed for the Vanguard project was mated to the
Thor. A fundamental problem was that the thrust to weight ratio of the
basic vehicle left little margin for growth or larger upper stages.
This was solved by using Castor solid rockets strapped to the base of
the vehicle to increase the lift-off thrust. Almost by accident rather
than design, Thor developed into the Delta, the standard American
medium-lift launcher, continually evolving through the use of more and
larger strap-on boosters, a cylindrical and stretched core, and
enlarged upper stages.







share|improve this answer









$endgroup$












  • $begingroup$
    Thanks! Some possibly related JATO material here space.stackexchange.com/a/34020/12102 ?
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Mar 18 at 18:27














4












4








4





$begingroup$

According to the Wikipedia article on the Titan IIIC the first flight of that vehicle was on 1965 June 18. Prior to that, on 1964 August 19 a successful flight of a rocket variously known as the "Thrust Augmented Delta" (TAD) or "Delta D" or "Thor-Delta D" ushered in operational use of strap-ons for US launch systems. The TAD flew again successfully on 1965 April 6.



After that the success with the TAD prompted the highly successful Delta series of medium-lift launchers. This article discusses the development from the single-engine Thor IRBM to the Delta series. Concerning the adoption of thrust augmenters,




After the Sputnik shock, all available assets were pressed into
service. Thor was developed into a workhorse for the space program.
The Able stage developed for the Vanguard project was mated to the
Thor. A fundamental problem was that the thrust to weight ratio of the
basic vehicle left little margin for growth or larger upper stages.
This was solved by using Castor solid rockets strapped to the base of
the vehicle to increase the lift-off thrust. Almost by accident rather
than design, Thor developed into the Delta, the standard American
medium-lift launcher, continually evolving through the use of more and
larger strap-on boosters, a cylindrical and stretched core, and
enlarged upper stages.







share|improve this answer









$endgroup$



According to the Wikipedia article on the Titan IIIC the first flight of that vehicle was on 1965 June 18. Prior to that, on 1964 August 19 a successful flight of a rocket variously known as the "Thrust Augmented Delta" (TAD) or "Delta D" or "Thor-Delta D" ushered in operational use of strap-ons for US launch systems. The TAD flew again successfully on 1965 April 6.



After that the success with the TAD prompted the highly successful Delta series of medium-lift launchers. This article discusses the development from the single-engine Thor IRBM to the Delta series. Concerning the adoption of thrust augmenters,




After the Sputnik shock, all available assets were pressed into
service. Thor was developed into a workhorse for the space program.
The Able stage developed for the Vanguard project was mated to the
Thor. A fundamental problem was that the thrust to weight ratio of the
basic vehicle left little margin for growth or larger upper stages.
This was solved by using Castor solid rockets strapped to the base of
the vehicle to increase the lift-off thrust. Almost by accident rather
than design, Thor developed into the Delta, the standard American
medium-lift launcher, continually evolving through the use of more and
larger strap-on boosters, a cylindrical and stretched core, and
enlarged upper stages.








share|improve this answer












share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer










answered Mar 18 at 18:20









Tom SpilkerTom Spilker

11.5k2856




11.5k2856











  • $begingroup$
    Thanks! Some possibly related JATO material here space.stackexchange.com/a/34020/12102 ?
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Mar 18 at 18:27

















  • $begingroup$
    Thanks! Some possibly related JATO material here space.stackexchange.com/a/34020/12102 ?
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Mar 18 at 18:27
















$begingroup$
Thanks! Some possibly related JATO material here space.stackexchange.com/a/34020/12102 ?
$endgroup$
– uhoh
Mar 18 at 18:27





$begingroup$
Thanks! Some possibly related JATO material here space.stackexchange.com/a/34020/12102 ?
$endgroup$
– uhoh
Mar 18 at 18:27












3












$begingroup$

Moving further into the past (since you allowed suborbital flights, and this vehicle has a stated apogee of 240 miles, well above the line-whose-name-shall-not-be-spoken) there is the Sergeant-Delta aka Shotput.




on October 28, 1959, NASA launched a 30-m (100-ft) inflatable sphere
into a suborbital trajectory from Wallops Island as part of Project
Shotput. Project Shotput used a Sergeant-Delta launch vehicle to test
payloads for the Echo passive communications satellite project.



..................



Sergeant-Delta: A large rocket used by NASA in Project Shotput in
preparation for launching the Echo satellites. Consisted of a Sergeant
plus 2 strapped-on Recruits plus a Delta X-248 second stage.




Source NASA Sounding Rockets



enter image description here



Image source






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$








  • 1




    $begingroup$
    My head is spinning! Help me understand what Farside, a ten "stage" rockoon looked like? How was it configured?
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Mar 19 at 1:16







  • 1




    $begingroup$
    I don't know the proper configuration-agnostic term for a propulsive component of a stack of unspecified configuration in this case, so I used stage, then added quotes to it.
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Mar 19 at 1:20







  • 1




    $begingroup$
    I'm kind of sad, a 10 stager would have been awesome. This Farside's pretty cool though, total burn time < 8 seconds and it goes to 2000 miles. That's some savage acceleration.
    $endgroup$
    – Organic Marble
    Mar 19 at 1:45







  • 1




    $begingroup$
    yes, my head continues to spin...
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Mar 19 at 1:48















3












$begingroup$

Moving further into the past (since you allowed suborbital flights, and this vehicle has a stated apogee of 240 miles, well above the line-whose-name-shall-not-be-spoken) there is the Sergeant-Delta aka Shotput.




on October 28, 1959, NASA launched a 30-m (100-ft) inflatable sphere
into a suborbital trajectory from Wallops Island as part of Project
Shotput. Project Shotput used a Sergeant-Delta launch vehicle to test
payloads for the Echo passive communications satellite project.



..................



Sergeant-Delta: A large rocket used by NASA in Project Shotput in
preparation for launching the Echo satellites. Consisted of a Sergeant
plus 2 strapped-on Recruits plus a Delta X-248 second stage.




Source NASA Sounding Rockets



enter image description here



Image source






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$








  • 1




    $begingroup$
    My head is spinning! Help me understand what Farside, a ten "stage" rockoon looked like? How was it configured?
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Mar 19 at 1:16







  • 1




    $begingroup$
    I don't know the proper configuration-agnostic term for a propulsive component of a stack of unspecified configuration in this case, so I used stage, then added quotes to it.
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Mar 19 at 1:20







  • 1




    $begingroup$
    I'm kind of sad, a 10 stager would have been awesome. This Farside's pretty cool though, total burn time < 8 seconds and it goes to 2000 miles. That's some savage acceleration.
    $endgroup$
    – Organic Marble
    Mar 19 at 1:45







  • 1




    $begingroup$
    yes, my head continues to spin...
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Mar 19 at 1:48













3












3








3





$begingroup$

Moving further into the past (since you allowed suborbital flights, and this vehicle has a stated apogee of 240 miles, well above the line-whose-name-shall-not-be-spoken) there is the Sergeant-Delta aka Shotput.




on October 28, 1959, NASA launched a 30-m (100-ft) inflatable sphere
into a suborbital trajectory from Wallops Island as part of Project
Shotput. Project Shotput used a Sergeant-Delta launch vehicle to test
payloads for the Echo passive communications satellite project.



..................



Sergeant-Delta: A large rocket used by NASA in Project Shotput in
preparation for launching the Echo satellites. Consisted of a Sergeant
plus 2 strapped-on Recruits plus a Delta X-248 second stage.




Source NASA Sounding Rockets



enter image description here



Image source






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$



Moving further into the past (since you allowed suborbital flights, and this vehicle has a stated apogee of 240 miles, well above the line-whose-name-shall-not-be-spoken) there is the Sergeant-Delta aka Shotput.




on October 28, 1959, NASA launched a 30-m (100-ft) inflatable sphere
into a suborbital trajectory from Wallops Island as part of Project
Shotput. Project Shotput used a Sergeant-Delta launch vehicle to test
payloads for the Echo passive communications satellite project.



..................



Sergeant-Delta: A large rocket used by NASA in Project Shotput in
preparation for launching the Echo satellites. Consisted of a Sergeant
plus 2 strapped-on Recruits plus a Delta X-248 second stage.




Source NASA Sounding Rockets



enter image description here



Image source







share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited Mar 18 at 21:03

























answered Mar 18 at 19:44









Organic MarbleOrganic Marble

59.5k3165255




59.5k3165255







  • 1




    $begingroup$
    My head is spinning! Help me understand what Farside, a ten "stage" rockoon looked like? How was it configured?
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Mar 19 at 1:16







  • 1




    $begingroup$
    I don't know the proper configuration-agnostic term for a propulsive component of a stack of unspecified configuration in this case, so I used stage, then added quotes to it.
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Mar 19 at 1:20







  • 1




    $begingroup$
    I'm kind of sad, a 10 stager would have been awesome. This Farside's pretty cool though, total burn time < 8 seconds and it goes to 2000 miles. That's some savage acceleration.
    $endgroup$
    – Organic Marble
    Mar 19 at 1:45







  • 1




    $begingroup$
    yes, my head continues to spin...
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Mar 19 at 1:48












  • 1




    $begingroup$
    My head is spinning! Help me understand what Farside, a ten "stage" rockoon looked like? How was it configured?
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Mar 19 at 1:16







  • 1




    $begingroup$
    I don't know the proper configuration-agnostic term for a propulsive component of a stack of unspecified configuration in this case, so I used stage, then added quotes to it.
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Mar 19 at 1:20







  • 1




    $begingroup$
    I'm kind of sad, a 10 stager would have been awesome. This Farside's pretty cool though, total burn time < 8 seconds and it goes to 2000 miles. That's some savage acceleration.
    $endgroup$
    – Organic Marble
    Mar 19 at 1:45







  • 1




    $begingroup$
    yes, my head continues to spin...
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Mar 19 at 1:48







1




1




$begingroup$
My head is spinning! Help me understand what Farside, a ten "stage" rockoon looked like? How was it configured?
$endgroup$
– uhoh
Mar 19 at 1:16





$begingroup$
My head is spinning! Help me understand what Farside, a ten "stage" rockoon looked like? How was it configured?
$endgroup$
– uhoh
Mar 19 at 1:16





1




1




$begingroup$
I don't know the proper configuration-agnostic term for a propulsive component of a stack of unspecified configuration in this case, so I used stage, then added quotes to it.
$endgroup$
– uhoh
Mar 19 at 1:20





$begingroup$
I don't know the proper configuration-agnostic term for a propulsive component of a stack of unspecified configuration in this case, so I used stage, then added quotes to it.
$endgroup$
– uhoh
Mar 19 at 1:20





1




1




$begingroup$
I'm kind of sad, a 10 stager would have been awesome. This Farside's pretty cool though, total burn time < 8 seconds and it goes to 2000 miles. That's some savage acceleration.
$endgroup$
– Organic Marble
Mar 19 at 1:45





$begingroup$
I'm kind of sad, a 10 stager would have been awesome. This Farside's pretty cool though, total burn time < 8 seconds and it goes to 2000 miles. That's some savage acceleration.
$endgroup$
– Organic Marble
Mar 19 at 1:45





1




1




$begingroup$
yes, my head continues to spin...
$endgroup$
– uhoh
Mar 19 at 1:48




$begingroup$
yes, my head continues to spin...
$endgroup$
– uhoh
Mar 19 at 1:48

















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